Sheep shear comb



F. G. BRISTOW 2,210,703

SHEEP SHEAR COMB Filed July 5,, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q/ W Z//V//. 13 6 g flan 55 6 37252340? 1 we. I ,7 w mwaz a. g

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g- 6, 1940- F. G. BRISTOW 2,210,703

SHEEP SHEAR COMB Filed July 5, 193a 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 66 2 15 06 M 1 fn/wzm Patented Aug. 6, 1940 SHEEP SHEAR COMB Franeiss G. Bristow, Sydney, New South Wales,

Australia Application July 5, 1938, Serial No. 217,476 In Australia November 24, 1937 15 Claims. (Cl. 30-221) This invention relates to improvements in combs for sheep shearing machines, and is particularly directed to means associated, therewith forsupporting the teeth of the comb to prevent them from flexing during the operation of the hand-piece of the machine.

. invention is to provide means applicable tothe comb of the shearing machine for applying fbeam pressure to the outer surface of the teeth and to prevent them from flexing away from the cutter during the shearing action. Another object is to provide means foradjusting the pressure applied to the outer surface of the teeth of the comb. A

further object of the invention is to provide a supplemental member applicable to the outer face of a sheep shearing comb and formed to provide traveling bevels therefor removed from the extremities of the comb teeth. Further objects will appear as the description proceeds. The invention consists in certain features and elements of construction in combination, as herein shown anddescribed and as indicated by the claims.

In the drawings; Figure 1 is a plan view of the lower or outer face of a shearing machine comb including certain features provided therein for the purpose of the present invention. I

Figure 2 is a plan view showing the outer face of a pressure plate applicable to a comb of any standard type.

" Figure 3 is a transversev sectiontaken as indicated-at line 3-3 on. Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the upper face of the pressureplate shown in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken on an enlarged scale and showing the pressure plate of Figure'2 as applied to a standard type comb,

-the section being taken substantially at the plane indicated by the line 33 on Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a detail section showing several of the. comb teeth and a. portion of the pressure plate applied thereto, section being taken as indicated at line BB on Figure 5. f

Figure 7 is a plan view showing the lower face of -a modified form of pressure plate constructed with definite teeth and adapted for use alternatively with the plate shown in Figure 2.

Figure 8 is a sectional view showing the pressureiplate of Figure 7 applied to the comb. of Figure 1, sectionbeing taken as indicatedat: line B -.8 on Figure .1 and at line 8-8 on Figure 7.

. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing a further modificationnf the pressure plate in which "some of the teethare bent to act as runners,

Figure 1Q is a sectionalviemona larger scale,

Oneobject of the v showingthe pressure plate of Figure 9 applied to the comb of Figure 1, section being taken substantially at the plane of the line 88 on Figure 1.

. Figurell is a sectional View similar to Figure 5 10 but showing a modified form of pressure plate providing .a pocket for the teeth of the comb.

. Figure 12 is a fragmentary plan View showing a portion of the pressure plate of Figure 11 as applied to a comb. 10

Figure 13 is a sectional View similar to Figure 10 and showing another modified form of pressure plate applied to a comb.

. Figure 14 is a detail plan View, partly in sec- .tion, showing the extremities of two of the comb 15 teeth with pocketed teethofthe pressure plate of Figure 13 applied .thereto, section being taken .as indicated at line I 4-44 on Figure 13.

r It is found in practice that the comb of a sheep shearing machine, when mounted on the hand- :20 piece for use in cooperation with the usual oscillating cutter (not shown), has a tendency to bend away from the cutter, due to the pressure imparted by the fork of the cutter which is adjusted to bear against the upper face. of the comb, and ,25 also due to the resistance offered by the wool in the cutting process. The teeth of the comb, as usually constructed, are quite slender, and for that reason cannot be made rigid enough to wholly resist bending under pressure. As a result, .30 the point of the cutter may work unevenly, and

is inclined todrag the fiber or staple instead of cutting it cleanly. The present invention is directed to overcoming this difiiculty, and, briefly,

it consists in providing means mounted in rela- .35 tion to the back or under side of the comb so as to bear against the comb teeth only at limited points of contact in the vicinity of their slender extremities so as to furnish support for these flexible teeth and prevent them from bending away from the plane of contact with the oscillating cutter.

As commonly constructed, the comb is formed with traveling. bevels directly underneath the pointed faces of the teeth. One advantage of the present invention isv that it afiords traveling bevels on the pressure member which is applied to the back of the comb, and these traveling bevels can be at some distance back from the extreme points of the comb teeth, thus permitting ,50 the teeth to have free entry into the wool without pressing too closely against the skin of the sheep.

As shown in Figure 1, the comb includes the usual body portion, [2, with teeth, I3, and may 55 be of any approved design or pattern; it is provided with slots, I4, for fastening means by which it is secured to the hand-piece or head of the shearing machine (not shown).

The pressure plate shown in Figure 2 comprises a body portion, I5, with V-shaped notches or grooves, I6, disposed at intervals along one edge of the body and adapted to register with the respective teeth, I3, of the plate, I2. In Figure 1, the outer or under face of each of the teeth, I3, is shown formed with a groove or channel, H, for a purpose to be further explained.

But when the comb is of standard form, without such channels, the grooves, I6, of the pressure plate will engage the usual wedge-shaped edges of the teeth, I3, as seen in Figure 6, thus positioning the pressure plate against lateral displacement. At the edge opposite that which has the grooves, I6, the pressure plate, I5, bears against the heel portion of the comb, I2, when the parts are assembled, as indicated in Figure 5; and the plate, I5, has a slot, I8, through which there extends a headed stud, I9, projecting from the body of the comb, I2, for positioning the .plate, I5, upon the comb. Preferably, the slot,

I8, is elongated so as to permit of some adjustment of the pressure plate lengthwise of the teeth to correspond with the shifting of the active portions of the cutting edges, which results from the frequent re-sharpening of the oscillating cutter.

As clearly indicated in Figures 3 and 5, the forward edge of the pressure plate, I5, is curved or bent at 28 toward the comb, so that the plate is, in effect, arched. The heel portion of the plate, It, is formed with slots, 2|, positioned to register with the slots, I4, of the comb itself; thus the usual clampingscrews, (not shown), which are provided for holding the comb in position on the hand-piece, will extend both through the slots, I4, of the comb and through the slots, 2i, of thepressure plate; and when these screws are tightened, the pressure which they apply to the plate, Iii, will be transferred to the arched forward edge,'2[i, and applied thereby to the teeth, I3, of the comb. This, of course, results from the fact that the pressure plate does not bear against the comb, except at the heel and at the arched forward edge, 25. Thus the pressure plate acts as a beam which is supported at one end of the heel of the comb and at the other end on the outer or under surface of the teeth, I3, while a .loa'd'rimposed by the clamping screws (not shown) which extend through slots, i l and El, is applied at .an intermediate point, fairly near theheel but in such a way that the plate, I5, acting as a beam, reinforces and supports the slender teeth, I3, of the comb. Additional pressure may be applied by adjusting the screw, 13, to bear more or less strongly against the outer surface of the pressure plate adjacent the slot, I8.

When the pressure plate is made without teeth or tines, as in the form shown in Figures 2 to '6, it is preferably corrugated by the provision of grooves, 2:12, on the outer face of the plate, these grooves being spaced to register with the spaces between the teeth, E3, of thecomb, so that the ribsor ridges, 2'3, between the grooves, serve as runners to assist the smooth movement of the plate over the skin of the sheep.

Figure 7 illustrates a modified form of pressure plate, 25, which is provided with individual teeth, 26, spaced to register with the teeth, I3, of the comb, I2. As seen in Figure 8, each of the teeth, 26, terminates in a curved or bent portion, 21, which extends in a direction for engagement with the outer face of one of the comb teeth in the same manner as the arched portion, 20,01? the plate, I5, and these bent end portions of the teeth are tapered to engage readily in the channels, IT, in the comb teeth, I3, as indicated in Figure 8, thus positioning the pressure plate and holding it against lateral displacement.

In the modification shown in Figures 9 and 10 the pressure plate, 35, has certain teeth, 36, curved to a greater extent than the remaining teeth, 31, so that only these curved teeth, 36, will rest on the skin of the sheep, thereby lessening the running resistance of the hand-piece over the skin. This arrangement will also result in carrying the comb, I2, off the skin of the sheep at such a height that the wool will not be shorn quite as closely as otherwise.

Figures 11 and 12 illustrate a further modification in which a pressure plate, i5, is provided with teeth or tines, 46, each positioned to register with one of the teeth, I3, of the comb, I2, and to exert pressure for supporting the comb teeth. However, in this form of the invention, the tines, it, extend beyond the ends of the comb teeth, I3, and each of said tines terminates in a shoe or toe-piece, 41, formed with a pocket, indicated in dotted outline at 48 on Figure 11 and dimensioned to receive the pointed. end of the corresponding comb tooth, I3. The shoe portion, 46, is formed with a curved nose, &9, andis initially made with substantial thickness of material forwardly of the pocket, 48; at 50 it will be noted that the body of the shoe portion,

47, extends beyond the plane of the cutting to overlie one of the teeth, I3, of the comb, and I each having a curved end portion, 51, which extends around the point of the comb tooth and is formedwith a shallow notch or pocket at 58 to engage said point.

It may be understood that the pressure .plate made in accordance with this invention will be readily detachable from the comb, when desired. The button-hole .form of the slot, 18, permits sliding the plate to the position at which the larger portion ofthe slot registers with the head,

1:9, of the stud on the comb, so that the plate may be readily separated therefrom, and then if the comb is to be used without a pressure plate,

the stud may be unscrewed :and removed. But,

whenever the pressure plate .is employed, it will serve to support the teeth, I3, of the shearing comb, I2, so as to prevent them from flexing or bending downward under the pressure of the cutter which is applied against the cutting surface of the shearing comb, and it will prevent bending of the comb teeth in response to the resistance offered by the wool in thecutting process. It will be understood that the pressure plate or beam need not necessarily rest upon the heel portion. of the comb itself or be secured by the same clamping screws, but that it may be independently attached 'to the comb or to the hand-piece without the aid of the comb screws.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and re-arrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the same is not limited to the particular form herein shown and described, except in so far as indicated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pressure plate for the comb of a sheep shearing machine formed to bear against and support teeth of the comb thereof, said plate being positioned over the outer surface of the comb and having grooves in its own outer surface registering with the spaces between the teeth of the comb.

2. A pressure plate for the comb of a sheep shearing machine formed to bear against and support teeth of the comb thereof, said plate being positioned over the outer surface of the comb and having ridges in its own outer surface substantially aligned with the respective teeth of the comb.

3. In combination with a comb for a sheep shearing machine, a pressure plate bearing directly against the outer facesof the teeth of the comb with sufiicient force to resist flexure of the teeth away from the normal plane of their cutting edges, said plate and the teeth of the comb having inter-engaging features which prevent the lateral displacement of the plate relative to the comb teeth.

4. In the combination defined in claim 3, said inter-engaging features comprising recesses in the outer faces of the teeth of the comb and projections on the pressure plate engageable in said recesses respectively.

5. In the combination defined in claim 3, said inter-engaging features comprising the wedgeshaped outer edges of the comb teeth and grooves in the pressure plate respectively engaging said edges of the teeth.

6. In the combination defined in claim 3, said pressure plate being formed with teeth positioned respectively to register with the teeth of the comb, and the said inter-engaging features comprising the ends of the teeth of the pressure plate and grooves formed in the teeth of the comb.

7. In the combination defined in claim 3, said inter-engaging features comprising a groove extending longitudinally in the outer face of each tooth of the comb and projections on the pressure plate engageable respectively in said grooves, the projections being shorter than the grooves to permit adjustment of the pressure plate longitudinally of the teeth of the comb without disengaging the projections from the grooves.

8. In combination with a comb for a sheep shearing machine, a pressure plate bearing directly against the outer faces of the teeth of the comb with sufficient pressure to resist the fiexure of the teeth away from the normal plane of their cutting edges, said plate and at least one tooth of the comb having inter-engaging features which prevent lateral displacement of the plate relative to the comb teeth.

9. In combination with a comb for a sheep shearing machine, a pressure plate bearing directly against the outer faces of the teeth of the comb, said plate being adjustable over the comb to alter the distance from the ends of the teeth at which it bears against them, and fastening means by which said plate is held in position against the comb at any point in its range of adjustment.

10. In combination with the fixed comb of a sheep shearing machine, a pressure plate having portions which bear directly against the outer faces of the teeth of the comb and a portion which bears against the outer face of the comb at its heel, the'intervening area of the plate being spaced away from said comb, and a pressure screw connecting said plate with the comb at said intervening area and adjustable for varying the pressure which the plate transmits to the comb teeth.

11. In combination with the fixed comb of a sheep shearing machine, a pressure plate having portions which bear directly against the outer faces of the teeth of the comb, and pressure means in fixed relation to said plate, exerting force against it which the plate transmits to the comb teeth to resist flexure of the teeth away from the normal plane of their cutting "edges.

12. In combination with a comb for a sheep shearing machine, a pressure plate formed with teeth positioned respectively to register with the teeth of the comb and arranged to supply supporting pressure thereto, said pressure plate having teeth curved outwardly from the comb to serve as runners.

13. In combination with a'comb for a sheep shearing machine, a pressure plate formed with teeth positioned respectively to register with the teeth of the comb and arranged to supply supporting pressure thereto, a portion of the teeth of the pressure plate being curved outwardly from the comb to serve as runners, and being distributed at intervals across the plate.

14. In the combination defined in claim 3, said inter-engaging features comprising the extremities of the teeth of the comb and pockets formed on the pressure plate positioned respectively to receive and cover said extremities of the comb teeth. a

15. In combination with a comb for a sheep shearing machine, a pressure plate formed with teeth positioned respectively to register with the teeth of the comb and bearing respectively against the outer faces of the comb teeth with sufiicient force to resist flexure of the teeth away from the normal plane of their cutting edges, said teeth of the pressure plate having terminal portions extending around the ends of the comb teeth at least to the plane of the cutting face of the comb.

FRANCISS G. BRISTOW. 

